After a little more preparation and modification,
Mrs. Day took her seat at the head of the table, and
during the latter or tea division of the meal, presided
with much composure. It may cause some surprise
to learn that, now her vagary was over, she showed
herself to be an excellent person with much common
sense, and even a religious seriousness of tone on
matters pertaining to her afflictions.

CHAPTER VII: DICK MAKES HIMSELF USEFUL

The effect of Geoffrey’s incidental allusions
to Mr. Shiner was to restrain a considerable flow
of spontaneous chat that would otherwise have burst
from young Dewy along the drive homeward. And
a certain remark he had hazarded to her, in rather
too blunt and eager a manner, kept the young lady
herself even more silent than Dick. On both sides
there was an unwillingness to talk on any but the most
trivial subjects, and their sentences rarely took
a larger form than could be expressed in two or three
words.

Owing to Fancy being later in the day than she had
promised, the charwoman had given up expecting her;
whereupon Dick could do no less than stay and see
her comfortably tided over the disagreeable time of
entering and establishing herself in an empty house
after an absence of a week. The additional furniture
and utensils that had been brought (a canary and cage
among the rest) were taken out of the vehicle, and
the horse was unharnessed and put in the plot opposite,
where there was some tender grass. Dick lighted
the fire already laid; and activity began to loosen
their tongues a little.

“There!” said Fancy, “we forgot
to bring the fire-irons!”

She had originally found in her sitting-room, to bear
out the expression ‘nearly furnished’
which the school-manager had used in his letter to
her, a table, three chairs, a fender, and a piece of
carpet. This ‘nearly’ had been supplemented
hitherto by a kind friend, who had lent her fire-irons
and crockery until she should fetch some from home.

Dick attended to the young lady’s fire, using
his whip-handle for a poker till it was spoilt, and
then flourishing a hurdle stick for the remainder
of the time.

“The kettle boils; now you shall have a cup
of tea,” said Fancy, diving into the hamper
she had brought.

“Thank you,” said Dick, whose drive had
made him ready for some, especially in her company.

“Well, here’s only one cup-and-saucer,
as I breathe! Whatever could mother be thinking
about? Do you mind making shift, Mr. Dewy?”

“Not at all, Miss Day,” said that civil
person.

“—­And only having a cup by itself?
or a saucer by itself?”

“Don’t mind in the least.”

“Which do you mean by that?”

“I mean the cup, if you like the saucer.”

“And the saucer, if I like the cup?”

“Exactly, Miss Day.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dewy, for I like the cup decidedly.
Stop a minute; there are no spoons now!” She
dived into the hamper again, and at the end of two
or three minutes looked up and said, “I suppose
you don’t mind if I can’t find a spoon?”